CE NEWS

October 1, 2019

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Wishing everyone a spooktacular October!

Table of Contents

• Alaska Book Week
• Contemporary Indigenous Authorship  
• Novelist adds the American Indian Youth Literature Award
• Where to Find Diverse Books
• Lights on Afterschool
• Connecting to Collections Care
• Teen Programing HQ
• Alaska History Day
• Grant & Fellowship Opportunities
• The Librarian Parlor
• In The Library With The Lead Pipe
• Webinars You Don't Want to Miss
• Library Development Training & Continuing Education Calendar

Alaska Book Week

Alaska Book Week is an annual statewide celebration of all the ways we appreciate books. Alaska Book Week features readings, panel discussions, lectures, and youth activities.  Alaska book week will be held October 6-12, 2019 with some activities scheduled as early as October 3^rd.  A complete schedule of Alaska Book Week events is available online.

If your library is planning on hosting an Alaska Book Week event and you would like to add it to the list of the statewide scheduled events contact Trish Jenkins at akbookweek@gmail.com     

One way to participate in the Alaska Book Week is to create a book display highlighting Alaska authors.  Freya Anderson's bibliography Books by Alaska Native authors may be a helpful resource to libraries wanting to highlight Alaska Native authors.

Contemporary Indigenous Authorship

Kari Whitney of the University of Washington, Tacoma has created a digital exhibit celebrating contemporary indigenous authorship which includes author spotlights, indigenous futurism, youth literature and contemporary writing.

Novelist adds the American Indian Youth Literature Award

The American Indian Youth Literature award has been added to NoveList (the online database used by libraries for reading recommendations)

 Here is how to locate the lists:

1. Click on the Browse By button at the top in the orange toolbar.
2. Then click on Award Winners.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Browse All Award Winners and Notable Books," located to the left of the blue ribbon icon.
4. In the "Browse for" field, type "American Indian Youth Literature" and the three award lists (Picture books, Middle School, and Young Adult) will be at the top.

From the Home page, you can also type "American Indian Youth Literature Awards" in the search bar at the top and the three lists will be on the Lists and Articles tab. The results on the Books tab should all be titles that have won the award.

Where to Find Diverse Books

We Need Diverse Books is a grassroots organization dedicated to helping produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people. Public librarians may find their recommendation of  Where to Find Diverse Books helpful.

Lights on Afterschool

Public libraries offering afterschool programs are encouraged to participate in Lights On Afterschool  the only nationwide event that celebrates and advocates for afterschool programs. Public libraries are invited to join the Alaska Afterschool Network in raising awareness of the role afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs play in ensuring Alaska kids graduate from high school and are ready for the workforce.

Libraries interested in participating in Lights On Afterschool are encouraged to plan an event on October 24^th between the hours of 3-6 pm. Information on how to plan and promote your event may be found online.  Celebrate your library’s afterschool programs and all that you do to help students achieve!

Connecting to Collections Care

Librarians working in small rural libraries may find the upcoming Connecting to Collection Care webinar Practical Book Repair of interest.  The webinar will be offered on  October 3^rd at 10:00 am Alaska Time and will cover basic book structure, damage assessment, cost effective decision-making regarding repairs, appropriates supplies and techniques for basic repair of bound volumes, periodicals and pamphlets. Previously recorded Connecting to Collections Care webinars are available from the Archives page. 

Teen Programming HQ 

YALSA's Teen Programming HQ is an online database designed to help library staff find quality teen programing ideas. All of the programs listed in YALSA’s Teen Programming HQ align with YALSA’s Teen Programming Guidelines.   Examples of programs submitted to Programming HQ include Creating with Circuit Clay, Bath Fizzies and Nailed It Art Contest.

Alaska History Day

Public librarians interested in supporting education and promoting student research, thinking and presentation skills may want to consider serving an Alaska History Day mentor. 

Alaska History Day is the state affiliate of the National History Day® (NHD), a yearlong competition for students in grades 6-12.  Students work individually or in small groups to choose a topic that relates to an annual theme, research the topic, and then develop their research into one of five presentation categories:

• ​website
• performance
• documentary film
• exhibit
• research paper

​Alaska Humanities Forum works with statewide partner agencies and volunteer judges to hold local and statewide contests in the spring from which students advance to participate in NHD's national contest in the Washington, DC area each June. Hundreds of Alaskan students have participated in Alaska History Day and gone on to compete at the national level. The theme for the 2020 National History Day Contest is Breaking Barriers in History.

For more information on how you or your library can support Alaska History Day contact Amanda Dale adale@akhf.org

Grant & Fellowship Opportunities

Maureen Hayes Author/Illustrator Award

A $4,000 award established with funding from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, in honor of Maureen Hayes, to bring together children and nationally recognized authors/illustrators by funding an author/illustrator visit to a library. Applications and supporting materials including the required Signature Form are due November 15, 2019.

 Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship

The Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship provides a grant up to $4,000 to a qualified children’s librarian to spend up to four weeks reading and studying at the Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature, which is located in the George A. Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida Gainesville. The Baldwin Library contains a special collection of 130,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. The fellowship is endowed in memory of Louise Seaman Bechtel and Ruth M. Baldwin. Applications and supporting materials are due October 15. 2109.

The Librarian Parlor 

In 2017, Hailley Fargo, Katlyn Griffin, Chelsea Heinback and Charissa Powell launched The Librarian Parlor as a way to make the research process easier to understand and provide new LIS researchers with a starting point. The Librarian Parlor is an online space for library professionals to converse, share expertise, and ask questions about the process of developing, pursuing, and publishing library research. The site includes resources on managing imposter syndrome, methodologies & theoretical lenses, peer review and promotion& tenure. Recent posts include

• Facing My Fear of Quantitative Research Methods
• Why You Should Consider Going to Non-Library Conferences
• Book Review : Masked by Trust: Bias in Library Discovery

In The Library With The Lead Pipe

Founded and overseen by an international team of librarians In The Library With Lead Pipe is an open access, open peer reviewed journal, that publishes articles by authors representing diverse perspectives. Recent articles include:

• Leading from the Center: Reimagining Feedback Conversations at an Academic Library
• “All I did was get this golden ticket” : Negative Emotions, Cruel Optimism, and the Library Job Search
• No results found: A review of biographical information about award-winning children’s book authors in subscription and free resources

Webinars You Don't Want to Miss

Public Librarians' Chat: Library Makerspaces and DIY

The desire to have fun, create and learn new skills doesn't just pertain to children.  Public libraries around the country are developing fun hands-on intergenerational library programs.  During this webinar, Mo Yang, Studio Coordinator for The Studio at Anythink will share information on how the Studio came about and their guiding philosophy that "customers of all ages thrive when they discover and follow their passions, collaborate with others, and become creators." He will also highlight some of the innovative programs that are or have been offered by The Studio at Anythink.

October 24, 2019

11:00 am

Enter Webinar

Learning Express Library – Focus on Job and Career Accelerator

This 30 minute Webex will focus on Job and Career Accelerator (JCA) which gives job seekers the most comprehensive collection of job search and career exploration tools anywhere — all in one place and always available online. It includes a resume builder with targeted samples and tips, interviewing advice and a personal dashboard to track users' work.

October 29, 2019

9:00 am

Join the Webinar

Library Development Training & Continuing Education Calendar

A monthly calendar highlighting continuing education opportunities for public libraries in Alaska.